Great Art should be accessible to everyone

Support Team

The UK is at the forefront of producing great artists and great art should accessible to everyone.

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”

Edgar Degas

“ I have put my heart and soul into my work, and lost my mind in the process”

Vincent Van Gogh

“Art is anything of the ‘ordinary’ that provokes the imagination to come alive.”

It’s the ordinary that is all around us. It’s the simple things, the route you take to work every day, the colours of autumn leaves, or giggles from children crossing the street. Such things are easy to dismiss as mundane, but the truth is they are new and subtly different every single time. They are the raw ingredients for what we call art.

Why Buy Art ?

When the writer Thomas Merton said that “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves all at the same time,” he might of added that all art is emotional including the buying & selling of it.

Who knows the motivations of art collectors or understands what it is that makes one piece more appealing to one person and not another ! The real question about art that is pondered more than any other is...

What to buy ?

There is a study that proves that the art market is predominantly social and yet the majority of purchases are psychological. Only a tenth of buyers bought art purely as an investment, whereas 75% claim that emotion and enjoyment was their key. Buying art doesn’t just offer a sense of community, it engenders feelings of victory, cultural superiority and social distinction. Some say that it even fills a spiritual void. The term most commonly used by collectors, however, is that buying art gives them a “high”.

Buying Art doesn’t need to be difficult !

The buying and selling of art thrives on a balance of elitism and camaraderie, business and pleasure, emotion and greed. It is almost impossible to predict what the next trend, style or sensation will be, or whom or where the next great artist will emerge from.

The balance is so delicate that all it takes is for one well respected collector to take an interest in an up and coming new artist & it sparks a buying frenzy among those who don’t want to miss out! It doesn’t seem to matter whether you or I think its good or bad or if its worth the money. The bottom line is ‘what it might be worth when you add the element of Rarity’! It is rarity that increases values and creates demand.

Art has always been considered a luxury item, it is a want rather than a need. For the majority, art is not bought as an investment, it was bought on a whim or it ‘caught your eye’ or ‘theres just something about it’! and you had to have it!

Have you ever walked past a high street gallery and something has caught your eye, a piece of art that just seemed to call to you, it made you stop, about turn, stare and linger!

In those few moments time seemed to stand still, you were suddenly transported, you found your drifting, a well of emotion and memories stirred within you, but just as quick as they came, you’re snapped back into reality and that enormous sense of wellbeing and calm is quickly overridden by the dream stealing sensible adult within you fighting to take back control, then hits you with the thought of...‘I can’t afford that’!

Your self-preservation takes over and you start to rationalise!, you try, yet fail to justify the expenditure, you convince yourself, ‘I don’t deserve that’, ‘it wouldn’t work in my house’, ‘my partner wouldn’t like it’... etc. Gradually you talk yourself out of making an impulse decision and bit by bit chip away at emotion and bring logic back into play, justifying why you can’t afford it by telling yourself ‘rational-lies’. You don’t need a reason to buy art.

If you viewed art, not in terms of expense, but in the fact that it will give you years of pleasure and can be enjoyed and appreciated by all those around you. Its true value outweighs any expenditure.

‘think about why you are buying the art’

Owning a piece or art can be a great leveller, it is not defined by taste or class, it doesn’t descriminate, it is not prejudice and it certainly does not care who you are ! It doesn’t have feelings and yet it can provoke them, it won’t get upset about where its hung or who see’s it, it is just something to admire and be admired & sometimes shared.

Art can be ordinary and yet extraordinary, the choice is endless, so when you ask yourself, ‘what shall I buy?’ Buy something that makes YOU feel good, because true value outweighs any expenditure.

If you viewed art, not in terms of expense, but in the fact that it will give you years of pleasure and can be enjoyed and appreciated by all those around you. Its true value outweighs any expenditure.

So here are a few guidelines when choosing your art, first and foremost, think about why you are buying it! If it is an investment and you have bought it with the intention of selling it fairly soon, do your homework! choose something that is sought after or created by an artist that is popular and already established. If it is a limited edition, check the edition number, how many were run and the amount left, the lower the edition run, the better, ‘rarity is the key’. If you are buying a piece of art to fill a space on a wall, think about the surrounding environment, will it work, does it blend or clash, does the frame work, is it the right colour, design or style.

Who will see it, is it for private viewing or on display, what impact will it have, what message does it convey? Art can be so rewarding, not just to be viewed as a trophy of sorts, or a symbol of success and achievements in life. It you are buying art because you just love it, then embrace your passion, don’t let taste, cost, opinion, negativity or any other influence stop you from making your decision. You may identify with the artist’s statement, experience a connection to the thoughts or ideas of the artist, or share the artist’s perspective. Or maybe it’s simply your ability to understand and appreciate the art that attracts you to it. In all of these instances, you “bond” in some way with the art and artist, even if only in your mind.

When you find a piece that draws you in, its like an attraction, because art gratifies or satisfies not in terms of need, but rather in terms of desire, if you make your decision without agenda, you have much more flexibility where and on what types of art you chose from. Freedom of choice will open the door to a world of possibilities, in other words, when buying art based on passion and emotion or because you just see something in it, it gives you an enormous sense of wellbeing, just knowing that you don’t have to buy it; you simply want to buy it, and acquiring it will give you the gratification you anticipate it will provide.

‘The outcome is personal between you and the art.’ It doesn’t matter what you spend your money on or how much you spent, owning a piece of art that means something to you will give you a sense of fulfilment not necessarily related to the specifics of the art, but rather to the fact that you are able to own it. Some say that the acquisition and display of artwork for personal viewing only is at least in part about enhancing the self-esteem or self-perceptions of its owners. The art makes its owners feel good or better about themselves whenever they look at it, and in so doing, fulfills its purpose from its owners’ perspectives. Whatever the reason, ‘buy whatever you want’.

"A true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection"

Michelangelo

Art is a powerful form of expression not only for the artists who create it, but also for those who own it. Art allows people to express their individuality and to represent their beliefs, feelings, hopes, convictions and philosophies in socially (and visually) acceptable and redeeming ways. Art encourages people to ask questions, introspect, think about new ideas, experience fresh new perspectives and most importantly, it encourages us to take brief moments out of our busy lives to reflect on more than just the mundanities of our daily existences. Art improves our quality of life. All you have to do is think about the difference between a room with bare walls and one with walls full of art.

Art stimulates conversation, dialogue and interchange even between total strangers who might never otherwise say a single word to each other. It gives people permission to share thoughts, feelings, ideas and impressions that they might not ordinarily share. Art inspires us to think about and even visualize how life might one day be better than it is now.

“Every child is an Artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”

Pablo Picasso

Art is environmentally friendly, energy efficient and easy to maintain. It does not increase global warming, use fossil fuels or need to be serviced on a regular basis, and it’s certainly not just another expendable commodity destined for the landfill once it outlives its usefulness. Art never outlives its usefulness. In fact, it only gets better with time. ‘Art is inspirational, it can inspire and be inspiring’